Duke hammered by Villanova 77-54, ACC down to one team

For Duke fans, the game started great. Then the second minute of the game started. Villanova locked Duke down defensively all night long which led to Duke's worst shooting performance of the season. Singler, Scheyer, and Henderson shot a combined 9-45 from the floor. Villanova was the better team talent wise and athletically and it showed throughout the game. Duke's season comes to an end with a final record of 30-7.

For Coach K, this has to be considered one of his best coaching jobs in his entire time at Duke. To win 30 games and an ACC championship is truly remarkable when considering some of the talent deficiencies the Devils currently have. It was painfully clear last night that the Devils just do not have the talent to compete nationally with the elite teams. There was only one position of the five where Duke had the better player, and that was Singler at the four spot. Duke has zero guards that can create off the bounce (even Henderson when he is defended correctly). I think Coach K realized his team was just not good enough and said so much in the postgame. Duke has got to get back to getting the best players in the country to compete for national championships. One of the things that makes Coach K so great is his competitive fire. After seeing his team soundly beaten by a more talented and athletic Wildcats team, Coach K will hit the recruiting trail harder than ever.

For 2009, Duke has two bigs coming in. Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee are both post players that should really help Duke next year. Duke, for the first time in a while, will be a tall team. Singler and Thomas will be 6'8", Kelly at 6'9", Miles Plumlee at 6'10" and Mason Plumlee at 6'11". Zoubek will also be back at 7'1". The post seems to be set for the Devils as both Kelly and Plumlee are extremely skilled and should, with the returners, should give Duke the post presence they have been lacking since 2006 with the departure of Shelden Williams. Duke severely needs a guard for next year, most noticeably a point that can create for himself and his teammates. Duke has not had this really since 2004 with Chris Duhon. Duke is targeting Eric Bledsoe, an extremely quick PG that is ranked as four stars and the #8 PG in the 2009 class. His jumper leaves something to be desired at this time, but he could be a creator that Duke desperately needs.

2010 is the year that Duke has been targeting as a huge year for them in getting back to national prominence. They already have two five star guys signed in Andre Dawkins (6'4" SG) and Josh Hairston (6'8" PF). Both are extremely talented and ranked in the top 5 in the country at their positions. Duke has also signed four star PG Tyler Thornton. Thornton is a slasher and a great creator and great at getting to the rim. Duke is also targeting top 3 player Harrison Barnes and all indications seem to be that Duke is the leader for him. If Duke can sign him and one other combo guard they will be back to that national level very soon. Coach K has seen his team be overmatched athletically for the past couple of years and is simply too competitive and loves to win too much to continue to let that happen.

Duke had a great year by all accounts but was a step below the top teams nationally. I personally feel that with the 2009 and 2010 recruiting they will be back very shortly competing for national titles.

With Duke eliminated, the ACC's last saving grace this postseason is UNC. The Heels, for the conference, need to make the final four. The ACC has lost some serious credibility this postseason and needs more teams competing and winning (other than UNC and Duke) to regain some lost respect. The Heels play Gonzaga tonight at 9:57 PM.